Brazilian Breads - San Rafael

The canals area of San Rafael is a thriving, tight knit community and Brazilian Breads is definitely a part of that community. In this area, shop owners and consumers shop locally and really support each other. All the restaurants and businesses out here are essentially hole in the wall gems. For being an established member of this community (and a chain at that with an additional location in Berkeley), I give Brazilian Breads props. Staff seem pleasant in my minimal interactions with them. I 've visited Brazilian Breads twice now, and the rating for this review represents an average score for both visits. Visit #1: Acai Bowl Stopped here for an Acai Bowl and believe I met the owner. She was really kind and helped me customize the perfect Acai bowl for my girlfriend. The bowl was delicious and was made with fresh produce. Really enjoyed the Acai blend too, which was not too sweet, sour or bitter (just right). Some Acai bowl shops really can get this wrong by over sweetening their Acai bases. I also bought a set of cheese bread, and admittedly, they were the last set of 5 they had. These cheese bread (balls) were ok. We make them at home often and also get them from World Green in Larkspur (both options we prefer). Visit #2: Skewers and Sides On my second visit here, I took a look at their yelp and noticed that they started to feature meat skewers on their pictures. They looked really good so I decided to stop in and try a couple. However, the first thing I 'll note is the price is a bit disconcerting for the quality of food offered. For 2 skewers and 2 sides, I paid about $25 (including tax). Both skewers were chicken and bacon and where noticeably re heated. It is possible they were previously smoked (definitely a smoked flavor that I noted being an avid BBQ smoker myself), then frozen, and then reheated. I am guessing they 're frozen due to the rubbery, dry texture within the meat and the wet texture on the outside. I was concerned further that a few (3) pieces of the skewer were pink in the middle (couldn 't eat those). My sides included yuca and a salad. The yuca had definitely been cooked in the morning and re heated (as I also cook yuca at home and know what fresh, fried yuca tastes like). The yuca was also cold when I got it and a bit over salted. The salad was ok I did enjoy the mix of beets, egg, and sun dried tomato. Overall: I would usually give about a 3 rating overall based on these experiences, however, the undercooked chicken kind of brought down my overall score. I don 't know if I 'll try this place again, but I really respect the owner for bringing Brazilian food and culture to Marin.

Genuine Brazilian food and hospitality! Impeccable customer service (the cashier/server Desiree is amazing! and a mouth watering menu. A must stop in Berkeley!!!

Yum! Had a really nice take away from BB. Tried the Sirloin Skewer, Feijoada w/ Forofa, and Fried Yucca. It was all so satisfying and I felt like I was back in Brazil. They have a little market too with lots of frozen, refrigerated and shelf staples. Bought a large jar of Reiqeijao to smear with some Goiabda on Pao de Queijo. They sell Pastel papers if you want to make your own. Very friendly staff and easy parking. I ate in my car because the steak smelled so good

Love this place! Their pao, pastels, and açaí are well executed and so flavorful. The real winner for me is their Brazilian grocery items their large flake kosher salt is perfect for grilling on my parilla. My only gripe is I wished they opened before 11am. Can't tell you how many times I wake up craving them for breakfast. Hopefully they can open early on weekends in the future

This cheesy snack made of cassava flour and cheese is a perfect bite to go with a charcuterie board, as a stand-alone appetizer or even snack with wine! This local hidden gem is not someplace you would easily stumble upon, which means it will continue to be the local hidden gem it is. They have yucca fries, sandwiches, empanadas and local Latin groceries. Love this place! I always try to stop in and get my inventory of frozen Brazilian bread bites to keep on hand so I can enjoy whenever I break open a bottle of bubbles or red!